Hotels Say No To Blind Resident

Tim Steward Was Looking For A Place To Live. Six Beachfront Hotels Sent Him And His Guide Dog Away.

November 2, 1999|By Derek Catron of The Sentinel Staff

DAYTONA BEACH - As he goes about his duties at radio station WELE-AM in Daytona Beach, no one seems to take notice that Tim Steward is blind - and that's just how he likes it.

In familiar surroundings or on the street with his service dog, Winston, Steward figures he can get around about as well as anyone else.

That's why it's so galling to him that he should have trouble finding a place to live.

Steward and friend Bobbie Thomas, host and producer of the station's morning talk show, said they were turned away last Friday from six beachside motels that refused to rent to Steward because he's blind or because of his dog.

The Americans with Disabilities Act prohibits businesses that serve the public from discriminating against individuals with disabilities. It states that service animals such as guide dogs should not be treated like pets.

Nevertheless, a clerk at the Deluxe Beachside Inn refused to rent to Steward - even after a Daytona Beach police officer showed him a copy of the ADA and wrote a report about the incident.

A manager wasn't available Monday. A clerk who declined to identify herself said Steward was turned away because of the motel's policy against pets.

Dogs like Winston, a 9-year-old Australian shepherd, are supposed to be free to go anywhere customers are normally allowed to go under terms of the ADA. Hotels with ``no pets'' policies are supposed to make exceptions for service dogs, which include guide dogs and dogs that pull wheelchairs, among others.

Steward, 48, said he plans to file a lawsuit against the motels. He said he also lodged a formal complaint with the Department of Professional Regulation. But that doesn't solve his immediate problem.

``I still don't have a place to stay,'' he said Monday.

``You have all these politicians passing these laws, but there's no one to enforce them,'' said Steward, a production director who writes and produces the radio station's advertisements.

``You've got no immediate recourse.''

Steward, who has worked part-time at the radio station for about four years, recently moved out of his mainland apartment because he didn't feel safe there. He said he wanted to live in a beachside efficiency because he feels safer walking in a more populated area that's close to shops, restaurants and Votran bus stops.

``It would save me a lot of cab fares,'' Steward said.

Steward and Thomas visited a number of motels that had kitchenettes and weekly rates within his budget. Six of the places they visited wouldn't rent to Steward, they said.

The Deluxe Beachside Inn had been his favorite.

``I hate to say anything nice about them now, but it was really nice,'' Steward said.

Public education is the best tool against the treatment Steward experienced, said Alex McLaughlin, district administrator for the Florida Division of Blind Services' Daytona Beach office.

``Unfortunately, these things do happen. It is kind of an ongoing problem,'' he said. ``People don't know the law. Ownership changes or management changes. In most cases, they don't mean to hurt anybody. But sometimes, somebody just sticks to their belief.''

Thomas, who accompanied Steward on his search, said she was surprised at the way her friend was treated.

``I didn't think this sort of thing happened anymore,'' she said.

Steward wasn't surprised, though.

``You would be amazed how often you encounter this sort of thing,'' he said. ``At one place they told me, `I don't have facilities for these kinds of people.' He thinks he has to have a nursing home to accommodate me, which is ridiculous.''